The present invention relates to a stimulation device having an appendage for erogenous zones, in particular for the clitoris, a system with a stimulation device, and methods for stimulating body parts.
The erogenous zones of the human body can be stimulated with a variety of aids. For example, vibrators are used to apply a stimulus to a particular area of the skin by direct contact. These include stimulation aids for insertion into the human body, such as dildos.
Direct stimulation of the clitoris, for example using a clitoral massage vibrator, is frequently problematic. The clitoris is usually a woman's most sensitive erogenous zone. The entire clitoris is highly innervated, making it particularly touch-sensitive and responsive to sexual stimuli. In this context, the clitoral glans, in which the nerve cords of the two crura meet, should be emphasized in particular. Thus, on the one hand frequent application of a clitoral massage vibrator for direct stimulation leads to habituation effects or conditioning of the stimulated erogenous zone, while on the other the first applications of such a device may require certain practice or familiarization. Moreover, indirect stimulation of the female erogenous zones may be insufficient, or it may be desired to intensity the stimulation effect.
Furthermore, medical studies conducted in 2006 identified the female clitoris as the definitive starting point of the female climax, and for the first time neurologically proved the different qualities of sensation of clitoral and vaginal orgasm. Thus, both the clitoris and the vagina are capable of orgasm.
Furthermore, the sensitivity of the human erogenous zones, such as the clitoris, the inner and outer labia or the nipples, differs greatly from one individual to the next. Moreover, the sensitivity of the corresponding zone can change dramatically from one situation to another or even during a sexual act.
Furthermore, a rapid and pronounced stimulation of different erogenous zones is frequently desired.
Various direct and indirect forms of stimulation are usual practice, for example vacuum pumps and dildos.
For indirect stimulation of erogenous zones, and particularly the clitoris, conventional vacuum devices are used to stimulate the erogenous zones of the person concerned without directly contacting the main area to be stimulated. Thus, for example, vacuum pumps for the primary or secondary female sexual organs are known, which usually have a suction cup for placing on the appropriate area and a hand pump. The negative pressure exerted by this type of device on the clitoris, for example, generates a negative pressure in the clitoris itself which is usually below the systolic blood pressure. This difference in pressure results in an enlargement of the clitoris and/or stimulates the blood flow in the affected area. This vascular clitoral engorgement serves both to promote desire by increasing sensitivity and for visual and tactile manipulation. The improved blood circulation also results in an increased secretion of vaginal moisture, which makes the stimulation more pleasurable. However, the manual operation of the hand pump is often onerous or irksome. In addition, the long-term or uninterrupted application of negative pressure with this device category too may result in habituation effects, which limit the effectiveness of the device in the long term.
Electrically driven vacuum pumps are also increasingly used instead of a manually operated vacuum pump. As an example of this, WO 2006/05 82 91 A2 discloses a device for sexual therapy, wherein the arrangement comprises a tubular suction chamber for the clitoris, an electrical vacuum source (vacuum pump) and a plurality of air flow openings. Operation of the vacuum pump generates an ongoing air flow or air exchange in the chamber, in the area of the clitoris. This has the disadvantageous effect of drawing off by suction the vaginal moisture, which is increased as a result of the negative pressure, thus having a drying effect on the stimulated skin parts. Likewise, the drawn-off moist air results in contamination of the fluidically downstream vacuum arrangement, for example the vacuum pump. Such arrangements with vacuum pumps may thus be problematic from the point of view of hygiene, as vacuum pumps and the associated valves or ventilation components often have dead spaces and/or are difficult to clean. Furthermore, the device serves to treat the blood vessels in the clitoris and not to provide stimulation up to sexual climax.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,653 B1 discloses therapeutic devices and methods that generate a clitoral engorgement with the aid of a vacuum generated by a vacuum pump to assist in the treatment of clitoral disorders such as incontinence. A control valve or modulator that can be appropriately covered by a finger is used to manually adjust or vary the level of vacuum in the suction chamber. This requires the user's attention and may be irksome or distracting under certain circumstances. This relatively complex device having further valves also has the disadvantages relating to hygiene and dehydration that were mentioned above, with the device moreover serving for long-term therapeutic purposes and not for short-term sexual stimulation.
Thus, the devices of the prior art have the common disadvantage that the complexity of the arrangements generating negative pressure or positive pressure may be high and this device may have problems in respect of hygiene. Moreover, there is a problem of ease of handling the devices, which are frequently uncomfortable to hold and/or require habituation.
Furthermore, the devices of the prior art have the further common disadvantage in that habituation effects occur in the event of long-term, continuous or frequently recurring application of negative pressures.
Another disadvantage of some of the previously described vacuum devices is, firstly, that the negative pressure has to be limited by means of a control valve or a vacuum pump and, secondly, that the negative pressure is supposed to be relieved by means of manually opening a release valve before the suction cup is detached from the skin. Should one of the valves have a technical defect and/or the user operate the device incorrectly, there is a risk of injury in certain circumstances.
Thus, in view of the problems mentioned above, the object of the invention is to provide a stimulation device that has a simple construction, is easy and safe to use, and has a pronounced stimulation effect.
The object of the invention is achieved by the stimulation device as claimed in claim 1. Advantageous developments and embodiments are the subject-matter of the further independent claims and dependent claims.
According to the invention, a pressure field generating arrangement of the stimulation device has at least one first chamber and at least one second chamber having at least one opening for placing on a body part or on the erogenous zone and at least one connection element that connects the first chamber to the second chamber.
This embodiment according to the invention, of chambers in fluidic communication via at least one connection element, allows simple generation of a pressure field in the second chamber by changing the volume in the first chamber, this pressure field being temporarily directed at the area of skin to be stimulated.
A pressure field, in the context of the invention, is a field of medium pressures that is variable over time and has temporary positive pressures and temporary negative pressures, a negative pressure being a pressure of medium that is below the reference pressure and a positive pressure being a pressure of medium that is above the reference pressure. As a result, the medium flows back and forth in the pressure field according to the invention. Thus, preferably a (largely) intermittent exchange of said medium can occur.
The medium is usually gaseous, preferably air, but may for example alternatively or in addition be a liquid medium, such as water or commercially available lubricant. For example, the chambers according to the invention may be filled with the lubricant prior to using the stimulation device. This also allows the corresponding area of skin to be stimulated with a suitable skin-friendly liquid instead of air, which may be desired, depending on the user's individual preference. As a further example, the stimulation device may also be used under water with water as the medium (in the bathtub, for example). In this case the stimulation device is waterproof in form.
The reference pressure is usually the atmospheric pressure acting on the stimulation device that prevails when application begins (i.e. prior to placing the stimulation device on the area of skin to be stimulated). In the preferred application of the stimulation device with air, the reference pressure is the currently prevailing air pressure or normal pressure. For example, when the device is applied under the normal standard conditions the reference pressure may be approximately 1 bar, from which it follows that a negative pressure according to the invention may be for example 0.7 bar and a positive pressure according to the invention may be for example 1.3 bar.
The pressure field according to the invention is used on the one hand to excite blood circulation of the area of skin to be stimulated, while on the other said area of skin is indirectly massaged. This combines two advantageous effects. The increased blood circulation makes the erogenous zone of the person concerned more sensitive, while moreover generating a massaging effect that serves to stimulate the erogenous zone, for example for sexual arousal up to climax. The massaging effect is generated by the kinetic energy of the medium flowing out of the first chamber through the connection element against the surface of the area of skin to be stimulated. In this way, the massaging effect created by the pressure field is generated indirectly, i.e. without the skin part to be stimulated being in direct contact with a solid body such as a vibrator.
By the exemplary application to the clitoris of the pressure field which is variable over time according to the invention, the pressure field imitates a stimulation that usually occurs during sexual intercourse. Likewise, the motion of congress during this generates a varying stimulus of the clitoris. It is thus a lifelike simulation of the natural act of congress, with medical findings confirming that application of the pressure field according to the invention causes neither habituation effects nor addiction. This is due in particular to the alternating application of negative and positive pressures (or indeed to the non-continuous application of only one type of pressure).
Furthermore, the maximum applicable pressure is typically limited by the maximum load that may be put on the area of skin to be stimulated. Thus, for instance, too high a negative pressure harbors the risk of painful injury, in particular in erogenous zones. Stimulation devices working only with negative pressures are usually limited to this maximum in their mode of operation. By contrast, according to the invention the combination of positive and negative pressures creates an extended operational range of the stimulation-triggering pressure field or effect, as the operational range of the pressure can now be exploited to the maximum in both the positive and the negative range.
The orientation of the at least one connection element towards the area of skin to be stimulated allows the pressure field to work directly, the pressure field being decisively affected by the configuration of the at least one connection element and the at least one opening from the connection element into the second chamber, and is thus adjustable depending on the application of the stimulation device. Thus, the at least one opening of the connection element may be located opposite, preferably directly opposite, the body part to be stimulated. For example, the connection element in a stimulation device intended for the clitoris may have, between the first and second chamber, a single passage opening having a nozzle effect on the clitoral glans. Alternatively, the at least one connection element may comprise a plurality of passage openings, for example four, between the chambers if a relatively large area of skin is to be stimulated.
Furthermore, after placing the halfway or partially opened second chamber on the area of skin to be stimulated, a closed system of medium or air flow is created in the pressure field generating arrangement. Thus, the medium or air is moved decisively back and forth between the chambers, while an exchange with medium or air from outside the system is at least largely avoided. Thus, the first chamber is preferably connected exclusively to the second chamber via or through the connection element. Thus, the first chamber has no connections other than those to the second chamber; for example, there is no direct connection between the first chamber and the environment surrounding the device via a pressure valve or an air discharge channel.
For example, the temperature of the air in the flow system according to the invention rapidly adjusts to skin temperature, while the irksome supply of new (possibly cold) air from outside the system, as may be the case when using vacuum pumps of the prior art inter alia, is avoided. Drying effects are moreover avoided, as very little or no removal of stimulation-promoting fluid, such as bodily fluid, occurs in a closed system.
Furthermore, due to the simple construction, the pressure field generating arrangement according to the invention has the advantage of better hygiene and improved cleaning capacity. Here, the present invention avoids valves or pumps/compressors with potential dead spaces and places that cannot be cleaned. The pressure field generating arrangement according to the invention is thus easy to clean. For example, the stimulation device can be cleaned in a simple manner by filling the first chamber with a cleaning agent and activating the pressure field. Alternatively, the second chamber can be arranged to be replaceable, which also simplifies the cleaning of both chambers. Furthermore, the chambers according to the invention and the connection element of the pressure field generating arrangement can be manufactured in one piece, wherein they are made for example of a single plastic molded part (e.g. rubber). As a further alternative, the first chamber, the second chamber and the connection element may be made in one piece.
Moreover, the construction according to the invention has the result of avoiding complex fluid engineering elements such as valves, which results in simplified manufacture.
Furthermore, the stimulation device according to the invention has a drive unit that varies the volume of the first chamber such that a pressure field is generated via the connection element in the second chamber, this pressure field serving to stimulate the erogenous zone, and a control device that activates the drive unit.
The principle of the invention means that the medium transported between the chambers is limited in volume to the maximum volume of the first chamber. Moreover, the transported volume can be further limited, as a result of its construction, by the maximum possible change in volume brought about by the drive unit.
Consequently, the maximum positive or negative pressure the stimulation device can build up in the second chamber is limited due to the dimensions of the components of the pressure field generating arrangement and the drive. In particular, the maximum positive or negative pressure can be limited to an amount that minimizes or rules out any risk of injury for the areas of skin to be stimulated. As a result, a safety valve that is usual in the prior art, or a manual intervention in the stimulation process by the user, such as the opening of a release valve, is for example rendered unnecessary.
Furthermore, the variation over time in the pressure field or the modulation of the pressure field by the control device is controlled largely automatically. Thus, the modulation of the pressure field, such as intensity, time profile or sequence, can be previously stored in the control device. Preferably, the variation over time in the pressure field can have a regular or recurring (stimulation) pattern, such as pulses at a predetermined cycle rate or regularly alternating pulse sequences. This allows the user's interaction with the stimulation device to be limited according to the invention to switching on and off and selecting the stimulation pattern, while the stimulation device automatically executes the preferred stimulation pattern. Thus, according to the invention, the complexity of using the stimulation device is low, particularly when compared with conventional (medical) vacuum stimulation devices. Alternatively or in addition, the stimulation pattern of the stimulation device can be individually configured by the user during or before operation.
Moreover, according to the invention the stimulation device is provided with (at least) one appendage. On the one hand this appendage may be used as a handle in order to hold the stimulation device easily and comfortably, and on the other the appendage may also be used as a direct stimulation aid for insertion into the human body or indeed for placing on the human body.
If the appendage is inserted into the human body, it serves for direct stimulation of the body part concerned. Thus, it supplements the indirect stimulation effect of the pressure field generating arrangement. It is thus possible for a direct and an indirect stimulation of a plurality of erogenous zones to occur simultaneously or alternately. For example, the appendage may be inserted into the female vagina, while stimulation of the clitoris may take place at the same time or alternately by means of the pressure field according to the invention. Accordingly, the principle according to the invention of the combined direct and indirect stimulation may also be applied to other body parts, or the erogenous zones thereof. For example, the appendage may be placed on a woman's clitoris while the pressure field generating arrangement stimulates another woman's or the same woman's clitoris.
In this way, the stimulation device having an appendage may be used by only one person or indeed by two different people for the stimulation of a plurality of erogenous zones.
The combination of direct and indirect stimulation results in an improvement in the stimulation effect and a versatile applicability of the stimulation device. Moreover, further, alternative types of play during the sexual act are possible using the inventive stimulation device having an appendage.
Thus, according to the invention a stimulation device which has a plurality of cumulative orgasm- or stimulation-triggering effects and is suitable for the stimulation of a plurality of erogenous zones, in particular the female clitoris, is provided. Furthermore, a device is provided which avoids dehydration of the erogenous zones to be stimulated, is hygienic and avoids habituation effects.
According to a development of the invention, the appendage is movable with the pressure field generating arrangement, for example being connected by means of a joint at one end of the appendage. In this way, the stimulation device may be adapted to the anatomy of the human body in question and to its use. For example, the appendage may be inserted into the female vagina in order then to adapt the angle between the pressure field generating arrangement and the appendage such that the opening of the second chamber can be placed precisely over the clitoris. Consequently, the area of the body between the clitoris and the vagina is stimulated from both sides, mutually enhancing the effects of direct and indirect stimulation.
If the appendage is used as a handle for holding the stimulation device, the angle between the handle and the opening of the second chamber can be adapted to suit the preferences of the user of the device.
According to a development of the invention, the appendage is a stimulation aid which is shaped such that the appendage can be inserted into the human body, for example the vagina, for direct stimulation. In this case, the appendage preferably takes the form of a dildo. Here, sharp corners in particular are avoided. Thus, the appendage is preferably in a form such that it can be inserted smoothly into body cavities and/or also remain inserted therein.
According to a development of the invention, the appendage (140) is an elongate, lens-shaped or pillow-shaped body which is adapted such that the appendage can be inserted smoothly into the female vagina. This improves the direct stimulation effect.
According to a development of the invention, the appendage is mounted on the pressure field generating arrangement such that the stimulation device is unitary in form. Here, unitary means in particular that the stimulation device having an appendage and a pressure field generating arrangement takes the form of an integrated, cohesive device. Preferably, in this case the appendage and the pressure field generating arrangement transition into one another seamlessly. This improves hygiene and operability of the stimulation device.
According to a development of the invention, the appendage has a vibration device. This vibration device may be actuated such that the appendage vibrates, as known in the case of electromechanically operated dildos. In this case, the vibration may either be activated independently of the other parts of the stimulation device, or indeed the vibration may be controlled by means of the control device, which in that case controls the drive unit of the pressure field generating arrangement as well. Preferably, the vibration may be controllable in a conventional manner as regards intensity, duration and sequence. The vibration intensifies the direct stimulation effect.
According to a further aspect of the invention, according to further independent claim 20 a system having the stimulation device according to the invention is proposed which has a remote control device arranged separately from the stimulation device, wherein the control device of the stimulation device is remotely controlled by the remote control device. This allows a conventional wireless (for example via radio) or wired remote control to be employed in order to allow remote-controlled modulation of the stimulation device or activation thereof by another user.
According to a further aspect of the invention, as claimed in claims 21 to 25, methods for stimulating body parts, in particular the clitoris, are proposed. The associated advantageous effects are explained in more detail above in relation to the pressure field and the appendage.
According to a further aspect of the invention as claimed in claim 19, the use of the stimulation device according to the invention as a sex toy for stimulating the female clitoris is proposed. As explained in the introduction, the female clitoris is a particularly sensitive erogenous zone in women, which is why the use according to the invention of an indirect massaging stimulation, combined with a negative-pressure stimulation, for this body part for stimulation up to orgasm appears particularly advantageous.
In the present invention, the methods for stimulating erogenous zones serve for sexual pleasure, and thus the methods do not serve for medical, for example therapeutic, purposes.
The above-described features and functions of the present invention, and further aspects and features, are further described below with the aid of a detailed description of preferred embodiments with reference to the attached illustrations.